Nostalgia
by RedFox09
Summary: My take on some of Shadow's past, starting from when he first woke up. Oneshot. Rated T for blood.


Doors of steel parted automatically. A single, lone man clad in a white lab coat entered through them. The only light in the laboratory was an eerie green glow, emanating from the center of the room. Eyeglasses glinting, he drew near the source—a large, cylindrical glass tank filled with emerald liquid. Within it, a tiny creature coated in white fur slept. It had many wires attached to its body, and a mask over its muzzle, to which a hose connected. From it came a steady and unending hiss.

The scientist pressed a single index finger to a button on the control panel at the base of the glass tube. This triggered the drainage of the gooey substance within as the creature's carmine eyes groggily revealed themselves for the first time. The breathing mask was removed from its pale peach muzzle. Once its vision was able to focus clearly, it could see a distorted version of itself trapped within the same glass it was, and beyond that, a somewhat elderly human with hair that was once the color of a sunset but was now beginning to show traces of gray.

"Hello, Shadow," the man beamed, bringing his face closer. The white-furred animal he addressed tilted its quilled head to the side, mouth ajar, eyes bright with curiosity. It leaned forward ever so slightly, then was overtaken by despair as it lost its balance and nearly fell. It pressed its hands against the thick glass for support, feet scrabbling on the slick steel floor behind it for a moment before it regained its balance. It panted as the panic only began to ebb away. Folding its ears flat against its scalp, it whimpered, staring wide-eyed at the biologist who chuckled lightly.

"It's okay, Shadow," he soothed. "I know you're not ready to come out and see the world just yet." He pressed another button, and the hissing came back, but louder. The thing he called 'Shadow' began to feel dizzy and weak.

"For now, just go back to sleep…"

_knock, knock._

"Maria, it's me. May I come in?"

"Yes, Grandpa Robotnik," answered a young, pale, blonde girl, as she lay in her bed, holding a book she'd been reading. She set it down the wooden nightstand beside her as the door to her plain bedroom slid open, allowing her grandfather to enter.

"And how are we doing this evening?"

"I'm fine," she smiled up at the biologist."

"Good," he nodded, "because I have a surprise for you." He turned to the still-open door and called, "Shadow?"

Ruby eyes peeked in from the doorway. Their owner had grown significantly since he was first awakened a month ago; now he had the speech abilities, motor skills, and physical status of a ten-year-old. His quills, tail and fingers were less stubby, and his snow-white fur had grown just slightly coarser, and now laid more flatly against his skin. The tile floor felt cold and hard on his bare, padded feet as he crept into the room, moving to hide behind his creator's legs, shy and uncertain of the seemingly endless spaces beyond the glass container he'd only just been taken out of moments ago. He clung to the one bit of familiarity he had as if his life depended on it, eyes squeezed shut.

Without warning, he felt himself being lifted from under his arms. His quills bristled as he tried to curl up in defense, as his species was known to do… but then he was gently placed onto something soft and warm. His quills bristled just a little less as he opened his eyes once more and saw a much younger, more delicate-looking human than the one he knew looming above him. A soft smile was planted on her face. Shadow realized he was sitting on her lap.

"Shadow," the professor approached the pair, gesturing to his kin, "this is Maria. Maria, meet Shadow."

"Hello, Shadow," she greeted the timid fruit of all her grandfather's efforts to cure her permanent illness, cautiously lifting a hand to pet the small animal's head. His quills lay completely flat as she stroked him behind the ears, which were folded at the tips as they were still a little too big for him.

"Shadow, say hello," the man in the lab coat prompted.

"H-hello," the hoglet squeaked.

_Why am I aching so much?'_ Shadow groaned inwardly.

"… you think… … behavior… more aggressive…?"

"No… believe… the same…"

He was just barely able to detect some of the grimacing mutters of the biologists around him.

His unchanged eyes slowly revealed themselves, seeing nothing but blurs for a moment. He tried to put a hand to his temple, but found there was no room; he was surrounded by glass once more, though this time there were no wires or breathing aids. Even stranger, there was a glove covering his hand, and a golden ring on his wrist, not to mention his fur was jet black with red streaks.

"What the… ?"

He checked for any other changes. Indeed, all his fur, with the exception of his chest, was now somewhat shorter, and scorched ebony with streaks on his limbs, quills, and above his eyes that matched his pupils. The peach on his muzzle was replaced by tan. He had an identical glove on his other hand, and socks covering his feet. He could faintly feel a part of him poking the inside of the durable fabric.

_'Are those… claws?'_

Before he had time to find out, the glass covering the front of his container slid open, allowing him to step out, face to face with his creator.

"I'm sure you have a few questions, Shadow," he beamed.

"I do. For one, why do I have a migraine?" the anthropomorph rubbed his forehead groggily.

"You've just been given special abilities, and you're not used to it yet. You won't be able to use them properly until you're trained to do so. That's what those rings are for."

"Oh… What happened to my fur?" Shadow looked over himself once again, noticing his incisors felt just a little different as he spoke.

"That's just a side effect of a few of the enhancements I've given you," the professor spoke with pride.

"Which would be?"

"For one, you won't be aging any more. You'll stay just like you are now."

Shadow didn't know how to respond.

"For another," the scientist went on, "you won't have to eat, sleep, drink, or even breathe as much anymore."

"That's… interesting." Sable glanced around at the other scientists, who seemed to be preoccupied with jotting down notes, or something…

"Lastly, you'll never get sick. Any disease that enters your system will be eliminated instantly, no matter what it is."

Shadow didn't care to hear anymore.

"Where's Maria?"

Beyond thick glass, a big, blue planet was suspended in the distance. On the other side of the glass, Maria and her closest companion marveled at it. She sat upright, the covers covering her from the waist down, and he was seated beside her, covered by nothing but his fur and specialized clothing.

"What do you think it's like down there, Shadow?" she wondered aloud.

"Your guess is as good as mine. All I've seen are pictures. The professor says it's very different, just like it looks different…" he mused. "I hope we both get to be there for ourselves, someday…" he trailed off, knowing full well there was a good chance she wouldn't live long enough to go to the planet. He stifled a shudder at the thought.

"I know we will," she hugged him, always able to tell when something troubled him. He returned the embrace, his doubts melting away.

_Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without you, Maria…_

Sirens and alarms blared throughout the entire space-bound structure. There was panic, terror, screams, gunshots, and all else.

Once again, Shadow found himself encased in glass. He frantically tried to break out of it, but to no avail. Before him, his only friend was on her knees, doubled over, dying, blood pouring from a bullet wound on her torso.

"Open the door!" someone yelled from outside the room, banging on the bolted doors.

"Shadow, I want you to promise me…" she managed, trying not to sound as if she was in so much pain. "Promise me you'll do what's right… for everyone on that planet…" She meekly lifted an arm and gripped a lever at the base of the glass tank.

"No, wait!"

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog…"

She collapsed, pulling the lever down with her. Suddenly the container that held Shadow was shot through space at breakneck speed. Shadow saw the space station drift farther and farther away, and with it, _her._

"Maria!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, trembling, helpless, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

With another hiss, he felt consciousness begin to escape him. He steadied himself the same way he had when he'd first woken up, struggling to stay awake.

"Noo…"

* * *

Author's Note: 'Kay, so this is kinda my take on some of Shadow's past (just theories, people), and I kinda tried to tell it mostly from his POV. I'm not a Shararia fan, so don't think that pairing is implied here... it's not.

Shadow the Hedgehog, Proffessor Gerald Robotnik, Maria Robotnik, G.U.N. (c) Sega


End file.
